


Christmas Eve

by Fabrisse



Category: Guido Brunetti Series - Donna Leon
Genre: F/M, food preparation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 17:52:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13059099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fabrisse/pseuds/Fabrisse
Summary: Before the children come home, Guido and Paola start the preparations for Christmas Dinner.





	Christmas Eve

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



Guido Brunetti woke up next to his wife and nuzzled her neck. “The world is still asleep, Paola, but we don’t have to be.”

She turned and kissed him, then eyed him with amusement. “I would take your suggestion under advisement, but you didn’t bring home the ingredients I asked for.”

“Surely, there’s time for both, Professora.”

Paola pretended to think and then said, “Bring back rolls for breakfast right after you shower. I’ll make coffee, and _then_ you go find what we need.”

“ _Si, Professora._ ”

***  
Just over an hour later, Guido was out looking for the items on his list. It had been impossible to fill his wife’s request the previous evening. A last minute break in a case in the late afternoon had kept him in the office until nine. Paola had served up a small plate of gnocchi with butter and parsley and told him that finding the ingredients that were missing would be _his_ job.

After a quick review, he decided to head to the Rialto and find the fish they would need. He bought a medium squid and asked that the delicate ink sack* be packed separately in a sturdy container. Both bags had some crushed ice added to them. In addition, he selected some good sardines for tonight’s traditional evening meal, _bigoli co la sardela**_. 

Having taken care of the fish, he went to the butcher’s shop. There Guido carefully selected the pork and turkey he needed to make the capeeti*** for tomorrow’s Christmas dinner. Parmesan, mascarpone, and fontina from the cheesemonger and nougat and a large pandoro from the bakery were the last items on his list. However, mindful of the early closing hours, he decided to call Paola and make certain she hadn’t found anything else missing. Guido smiled as she told him what was still needed. Half an hour later, he had an array of fresh herbs and five hundred grams of fine white cornmeal.

Laden as he was, Guido still enjoyed the walk back to their apartment. The Venetian pattern of narrow streets leading into plazas, parish churches with baroque facades commemorating saints no longer on the Catholic calendar, and the walled gardens with trees peeping over the top soothed him. He couldn’t imagine a different city yielding the same small surprises or the same comforts.

***  
Guido was greeted by the scent of _capone_ the moment he opened the door. He took his prizes back to the kitchen and began to put things where they would be out of the way until needed.

Paola smiled and said, “Leave the sardines out and the herbs handy. I’ve set up the grinder for the forcemeat or do you want to make the pasta first?”

“Pasta first. It will give it a little time to dry before filling the _capeeti_.”

While she tended to the sardines, cleaning and spicing them for the evening meal, he floured a large area of counter and began to mix the semolina flour and egg into a stiff dough. When she was done, Paola took the extra egg whites to make the almond cookies her children loved at this time of year.

The dough was set to rest, and Guido cleaned his hands before kissing his wife. “So, what are your students going to be getting next semester?” He took out the pork shoulder, pork belly, and large turkey breasts he’d chosen earlier and began to cut them into smaller chunks.

“I have had my contrasting British and American writers approved. It’s limited to the nineteenth century, but I think it could spark some lively debate, or at least lively interest.”

“Surely they’re already interested or they wouldn’t be taking your course.”

Paola gave him a disbelieving look. “Too many of them think literature classes are an easy option. They need English to talk to the tourists or to serve at the EU, so my classes are seen as an ornament to their education.”

Guido spread the chunks over a clean counter space and sprinkled them with salt and pepper, then he grated nutmeg over that.

“Do you think a little celery seed?” Paola asked.

“Do we still have some celery hearts? I’d rather use the leaves from those.”

She thought to herself and nodded. “A more delicate flavor. I’ll get what you need.”

Guido returned to the previous subject. “It occurs to me that if you’re only working with the 19th century, you won’t be able to use _The Golden Bowl_.” 

He began to put the chunks through the meat grinder, a piece of shoulder, a bit of the belly, and some turkey so they mixed together as they came out of the grinder. Paola added greenery as it went to make a well flavored forcemeat.

Paola said, “I hope to be able to adjust the years the next time the course is run. For right now, I’m looking at _Daisy Miller_ or _The Aspern Papers_.”

Guido thought for a few moments and said, “If you’re thinking about students who are more likely to read Elena Ferrante than Dante, I think you’re better with _Daisy Miller_.”

“I’d come to the same conclusion,” she sighed. “In order to provide a really good contrast, I’m working with novellas, or in some cases, short stories. It’s less satisfying in some ways.”

Guido smiled at her as he covered the bowl and put it in the refrigerator. “But surely the wider variety is more likely to cause that spark of discussion you’re looking for.”

“Perhaps.” She checked the time and took the almond biscuits out of the oven to cool. 

Guido looked at her and said, “You lament the students every year. Don’t you think our professors felt the same way? We always think our younger years were better than the young ones have now.” He kissed her.

“You’re right,” Paola said. “The children will be home soon.”

“They will.”

Paola said, “Let’s read on the sofa until they do.”

“Is everything ready for tonight?”

“Sardines are ready to cook while the pasta is boiling, and there are almond cookies for after midnight mass.”

Guido kissed her lightly. “Then, yes, Paola, let’s.”

**Author's Note:**

> * for Risotto Nero  
> ** Bigoli is Venetian spaghetti, which is a very long tube  
> *** A filled pasta, traditionally Venetian, similar to ravioli or tortellini. It's traditionally served on Christmas day in  
> **** A traditionally Venetian rich chicken broth made from capons.


End file.
